Display card convertible into a toy hat



Sept. 5, 1950 R. H. MOEN ETAL DISPLAY CARD CONVERTIBLE INTO A TOY HAT Filed March -5, 1949 15 9 6 iyxw I? INVENTORJ R/o/ RD' M05 Alva M/IHL o/VE'PA T70/v A 7' TORNEX Patented Sept. 5, 1950 DISPLAY CARD CONVERTIBLE INTO A TOY HAT Richard H. Moen, Millersville, and Mahlon E. Patton, Elizabethtown, Pa., assignors to Moen & Patton, Inc., Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 5, 1949, Serial No. 79,818

The present invention relates to an easily erectable toy hat consisting of composite parts made of a flexible material such as cardboard or the like. More in particular the invention relates to a counter display card for an article of merchandise, which display card may easily be converted into a toy hat whence the article attached thereto has been removed. 1

An object of the invention is to provide a toy hat comprising a hat-band part and a visor part attached thereto, both parts being made of a flexible material such as cardboard, which parts may be easily bent and erected from a flat position to form said toy hat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy hat comprising a hat-band part and a visor part, which visor part, upon erection of the hat, projects rigidly at an angle away from said hatband part, giving the hat a realistic appearance.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a counter display card for an article of merchandise, for instance a toy, such as a baton, drumsticks, play gun, or the like, which display card may be converted into a toy hat after removal of the article attached thereto.

Still another object is to provide a toy hat, which may easily be formed from its composite parts, without the need for cutting or other such operations to fit the parts together.

According to the invention, the toy hat comprises a hat-band part and a visor part, both provided with a number of tabs and coacting slots, by means of which the visor part maybe preassembled to and interlocked with the hat-band part, both lying flat in the same plane, and by means of which the visor part, after the hat-band part has been bent and erected, may be firmly locked in a position with its inner rim fitting the contour of said hat-band and its outer rim projecting at a forward angle from said hat-band.

Other objects and novel features of the easily erectable toy hat, according to the present invention, will appear more fully from the following description and claims in conjunction with-the accompanying drawings, which illustrate byway of example an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, I

Figure 1 shows an assembled counter display card according to the invention with a plume and the article to be displayed, a toy baton, attached thereto;

, Figure 2 shows the parts of the display card of Figure 1 taken apart, the displayed article and plume being removed;

Figure 3 shows a front elevation of the display 6 Claims. (01. 2-195) card of Figures 1 and 2 converted into a toy hat, in this case a drum major hat or shako;

Figure 4 shows a sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 shows a detail of Figure 3 on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, a display card adapted to be converted into a shako is shown, comprising two distinct and interlocked fiat parts made of cardboard or a like easily bendable material, these parts being a rectangular part I intended to serve as the hat-band of the shako after the assembling thereof and a substantially sickleshaped part 2, intended to form the visor of the shako. v

The rectangular part I carries the article to be displayed, in the embodiment shown a toy baton 3, which baton fits with its round head in a circular hole 4 of smaller diameter than the head and cut out at one end of the hat-band part I. The baton is attached to the part I, for instance, by means of a small metal band 5 passing around the head of the baton and between the head and the edge of the hole, both ends of this metal band 5 being bent back at the backside of the part I, to lie flat against this side as indicated by the dotted lines-in Figure 1. In a like way the stick of the baton may be held by a wire 6 passing around the stick and through two small holes I in the part I to the back side thereof, the ends of said wire 'I again being bent fiat against the side of the part I. In this way the baton is easily detachable from the display card without damaging same by bending the ends of the strip 5 and wire 6 away from the back side of the card and extracting them from the hole 4 and the small holes 1, respectively. Other attaching means may be used, especially when an article of different shape is to be attached to the display card for display, but it will be noticed that the primary attaching means, that is the hole 4 affecting the appearance of the display card, is positioned at one end of the part I, while the two little holes 1 will hardly show when the baton or other article has been removed.

At the end of the hat-band part I, where the main attaching means are situated, there is a space left open on the display card for printed indicia 8, such as advertisements or directions for theerection of the shake; the rest of the upper side of the part I may be printed over with an attractive design indicated by 9, in accordance with the desired appearance of the shako.

At some distance from its right-hand end, a number, for instance four, slots I0 have been cut in the hat-band part I, spaced at some distance from each other and transversal to the long sides of the hat-band part, the hole 4 and indicia 8 being positioned between the right-hand edge of the part I and the row of slots I0. At its opposite end the part I is provided with a tab II adapted to engage one of the slots "III "in a known manner, when the hatband part is bent to form a cylinder. The left-hand end with tab II in that position may overlap the right-hand end of the part I and thus cover the hole 4 and indicia 8 from sight.

A plume I2 with a stick I3 is attached to the baton 3 by means of a string 14 (Figure 1) or is in any other convenient way detacha'bly fastened to the article or display card. About midway the hat-band part I is provided with two slots or holes I5 through which the plume stick I3 may be inserted to be held in an upright position with respect to said hat-band part as shown in Figures 3 and 4. g

The hat-band part is further provided with three longitudinal slots It and I1, spaced from each other and lying substantially in parallel with and at a small distance from the lower edge of the part I. The middle slot I 7 has at itsends two small cross slits 2| slanting upwardly and away from each other.

- The flat visor part 2 of the display card is shaped like a sickle with "a substantially circular lower rim and a specially curved upper rim '22. Both of the curved up ends of this visor part are provided with tabs IBlEorming a continuation o said ends, which tabs project sideways from said visor part '2 and {are bounded partly by recesses or slits 25. As shown in Figure l, the tabs it are inserted in the slots 16, going in at the front side of the part 1 and sticking out at the back side thereof, the slots l6 being spaced at such a dis- 'tance from each otherthat they grip around the visor ends behind the tabs IS in the recesses 25,

thereby locking thevisor part 2 in the hatband part I when the visor part "lies fiat in the same plane as the hat-band part.- Th slots I6 have alength somewhat greater than the Width of the visor ends at the place of the recesses 25, allowing the visor ends some room for play.

It would be possible to provide two more slots in parallel to and spaced at a small distance from the slot 6 and to insert the tabs I8 through these slots, thus to stick out again at the front side of the part "I. The extra rigidity of the connection between the two interlocked parts I and 2 acquired thereby is, however, of small significance while, on the other hand, the tabs sticking out of of the'hat.

The visor part 2 is provided with a tongue f9 7 Thelongitudina'l slot II between the cross slits 2i 'hasa length somewhat smaller than the width hi the tongue I 9 but greater than the width of the portion It, while the distance between the upper endsof the cross slits 211s somewhatgreater than the width of the tongue [9, thus allowing the tongue to pass through the slot. The distance betweenthe slot I9 and the lower edge of the part I is somewhat smaller than the length of the portion I9.

To greet the described display card to form a shako as shown in Figures 3 and 4 after the article displayed and the plume have been detached therefrom, the hat-band part 1 is bent into a cylinder and the tab I-I inserted in one of the slots I ii, going in at the front side, whereby the hole 4 and indicia .8 are covered. Which one of the slots I0 is chosen depends on the desired size of the hat. The visor part 2 is thereby also bent, lying in the same cylindrical plane as the hat-band I. The middle section of the visor may now be pulled upwards by means of the tongue I9 sticking out at the front, until the lower edge of the hat-band I slides at least partly in the slots 23 and the por-- tion I9 is situated at the back side of the hathand between its underedge and the slot H. In the course of this upward movement the shoulders '20 cf the tongue 19 will pass through the slot I! and slits 2| and will upon a successive slight downward movement come to lie -over the slits 2 -I, thereby preventing an further downward movement of the tongue and locking same in this position, because the slot-I1 has a smaller length than the width of the shcul-c'iers. This locking position of the tongue is shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 5; The two ends of the visor 2 cannot follow this upward movement of the middle sec-- 'tion because they are locked in the slots I '5 as soon as the-upper rim 22 of the visor 2 contacts the inner ends of the slots I6. The result is that the visor is forcibly bent into a sloping position, projecting at an angle from the under side of the hat-band as shown in the cross-section of Figure 4. Because the slots :I S have a length screewhat greater than the "width of the visor ends passing 'therethrough, they provide some room for play for the visor ends to slightly shift and turn so as to allow the required bending of the visor. The special curving of the upper rim '22 of the visa;- is such that it substantially fits th contour of the hat-band in this position.

To complete the shake, the stick I3 of the plume 12 may be inserted in the holes it, going in through theupper one, passing at the backside of the hat-band and projecting out through the lower one of said holes; This lower hole is situated just above the slot 1-! so that the projecting end of the plume stick I -'3 is at least partly/covered by the over-lying end of the tongue I9.

As appears from the above description, the toy hat may be very easily formed from the display card according to the invention, there being no need to cut away any portions or to make any'slits in the *parts I and 2.' The parts I and 2 of th display card are assembled beforehand lying in the same plane, while afterthe erection of the hatthe sloping visor provides "a 'Very realistic effect. If desired, the upper part of the tongue i9 may be torn on along a perforated line 24 after the tongue I 9 has been locked in the slot I I.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An easily erectable toy hat, comprising a flat hat-band part and a flat substantially sickleshaped visor part made out of a .flexible material which :parts may bebent and assembled to form said 'toy hat, said hat-band being provided with means for connecting one end thereof to the other end when it has been'bent to'form a substantial cylinder and further being :provided with at least three spaced slots positioned substantially in a row along one sideof said hat-band, and'said i'sickle-shaped visor being provided with at least one tongue projecting from the middle section ivisor being so formed that upon the insertion of said tabs and tongue in said slots with the visor projecting at one side of said hat-band part, and

upon the subsequent bending of said hat-band 'part into a cylinder, the middle section of said visor may be pulled upwards by means of said tongue until the latter is in said locking position, the outer ends of said visor part substantially staying in the same position during this pulling motion, thus causing said visor parts to slope away *i'r'om said hat-band with said inner rim substantially fitting the contour of said bent hat-band part.

' 2. An easily erectable toy hat, comprising a flat hat-band part and a flat substantially siokeshaped visor part made of a flexible material,

which parts may be bent and assembled to form said toy hat, said hat-band part having at one end a number of transversal slots and at its other end a-tab adapted to engage one of said slots when the hat-band part is bent to form a cylinder. said hat-band part further being provided with three visor slots lying substantially on a line at a small distance from and in parallel with one of its sides,

the middle one of said three visor slots having near its ends two short cross slits sloping upwards and outwards at an ang e with said middle slot,

and said visor part being provided with a tongue projecting from the middle of said visor between the curved ends thereof and with tabs formed at both of said ends, said tongue adapted to slidably engage the midd e one of said three visor slots and having a portion with two juttin -out shoulders connected by a portion of smaller width to said visor part, said shoulders having a width somewhat greater than the length of said middle slot and somewhat smaller than the distance between the upper ends of said sloping cross slits and said tongue portion of small width having a length somewhat greater than the distance between said middle slot and the side of said hat-band part, said end tabs of said visor part adapted to engage and be locked in the outer two of said three slots, the arrangement being such upon the insertion of said tongue into said middle slot going in at the back side of said hat-band and projecting at the front side thereof, and the insertion of said visor end tabs into said outer slots going in at the front side of said hat-band and upon the subsequent bending of said hat-band to form a cylinder with the inserted end of said tongue projecting at the front side, the middle section of said visor may be pulled upwards by means of said tongue end until the inner rim of said visor contacts said hat-band over substantially the whole length of said rim, said visor thereby projecting from said hat band at an angle and said tongue occupying a locking position, in which said shoulders have passed through and overlie said cross slits.

3. An easily erectable toy hat, comprising a flat hat-band part, a fiat substantially sickle-shaped visor part and a plume, said parts being made of a flexible material and adapted to be bent and assembled to form a toy hat, said hat-band part being provided with means for connecting one end Iii! thereof to the other end, with three spaced slots positioned substantially in a line along one side of said hat-band and with means for attaching said plume to said hat-band above the middle one of said three slots and said sickle-shaped visor being provided with a tongue projecting from the middle section of said visor between the curved ends thereof, said tongue adapted to slidably engage the middle one of said three slots having a looking position in said slot, and the ends of said visor being formed into tabs adapted to engage the outer two of said slots, said tabs and said slots and the curved inner rim of said sickle-shaped visor being so formed that upon the insertion of said tabs and tongue in said slots with the visor projecting at one side of said hat-band part, and upon the subsequent bending of said hat-band part into a cylinder, the middle section of said visor may be pulled upwards by means of said tongue until the latter is in said locking position, the outer ends of said visor part substantially staying in the same position during this pulling motion, thus causing said visor parts to slope away from sad hat-band with said inner rim substantially fitting the contour of said bent hat-band part.

4. A flat display card for an article of merchandise, adapted to be easily bent and erected to form a toy hat, said display card. comprising a hatband part, serving to form the hat-band of said toy hat, and a substantially sickle-shaped visor part interlocked with said hat-band part and serving to form the visor of said toy hat, said hat band part being provided with means for attaching said article of merchandise, with means for connecting one end of said hat-band part to the other end upon the bending of said hat-band part to form a cylinder and with a slot positioned at a small distance in parallel with one side of said hat-band, said visor part being provided with a tongue projecting from the middle section of said sickle-shaped visor between the curved ends thereof, said tongue being inserted for slidable engagement in said slot going in at the back side of said hat-band part and projecting with its end at the front side thereof, said tongue having side projections cooperating with the ends of said middle slot to form a locking position for said tongue, the curved-up ends of said sickle-shaped visor part being attached to said hat-band part at both sides of said slot with both parts lying in the same plane, said visor part thereby projecting at one side of said hat-band part, the inner rim of said visor part being so formed that upon the bending of said hat-band into a cylinder, the middle section of said visor part may be pulled upwards by means of said tongue until the inner rim of said visor contacts said hat-band over substantially the whole length of said rim, said visor thereby projecting from said hat-band at an angle and said tongue occupying its locking position.

5. A display card for an article of merchandise, adapted to be easily bent and erected to form a toy hat, said display card comprising a flat oblong part, serving to form the hat-band of said toy hat, a fiat substantially sickle-shaped visor part serving to form the visor of said toy hat and means for detachably fastening said article of merchandise to said hat-band part, said hat-band part being provided with a number of transversal slots positioned near one end thereof, with space for printed indicia and with cuttings for receiving said article and said fastening means substantially situated with said indicia space between the edge of said hat-band end and said transiversal slots, with a tab at the-other end of said densaid last mentioned end thereby overlapping saidyindicia space and said-cuttings, and with threeslots positioned substantially in a line .at a small distance 'from and in parallel with one side of said hat-band, said visor part being provided with a tongue, projecting from the .middle section of said sickle-shaped visor -part between :the curved ends thereon-and with tabs formed at said acurved ends, said tongue being inserted for slidable engagement in the middle one of said ithree slots going in at the backside of said hatband part and projecting with its ends at the front side thereof, said tongue having side projectionscooperating with the-ends of said :middle slot toform a locking position for said tongue, said tabs of said visor part being inserted and locked in the outer two of said slots going in at the front side of said hat-band to project at the back side thereof, said visor part thereby pro- .iiecting-at one side of-saidhat-band part, the inner 'rim of said visor part being so formed that upon the bending of said hat-band into a cylinder, the

7 middle section :of said visor part may be pulled I upwards by means of said tongue until the inner V rim of said visor contacts said hat-band over substantially the whole length of said rim, said i adapted to be easily bent and erected to form a toy hat, said display card comprising a flat oblong part, serving to form the hat-band of said ztoy hat, a fiat substantially sickle-shaped part serving to'form the visor of said toy hat, a plume attached to a stick and means for detachably fastening said varticle and said plume to said .hatband part, said hat-band part being provided with a number of transversal slots positioned near one end thereof, with cuttings for receiving said article and said fastening means, with space for printed indicia situated with said cuttings between the edge of said hat-band part end and said transversal slots, with a tab at the other end of said hat-band part adapted to engage one or 8 I said slots whenv said hat-band part. is bent to vform a cylinder, said last mentioned end thereby overlapping said indicia space and said cuttings, with three spaced slots positioned at a small distance from-and substantially in parallel with one side of said hat-band part, the middle oneof said 7 three slots having .near its ends two short cross slits sloping upwards and outwards at an angle with said middle slot, and. with; two spaced holes positioned on 'a line transversal to said middle slot and adapted to receive said plume stick after the erection of. the hat, said visor part being :pro- 'vided with 'a tongue projecting from the middle section of said visor between the curved ends thereof and with tabs-formed at both of saidends, said tongue being inserted for slidable engagement in the middleof one of said three slots going in at the backside of said hat-band :part and projecting with itsend at the front side thereof, said tongue having a portion with two jutting out shoulders connected by a portion of small width to said visor part, said shoulders having a width somewhat greater than the length of said middle slot and somewhat smaller than the distance between the upper ends of said cross slitswand said small tongue portion having a length somewhat greater than the distance between said middle slot and the side of said hat-band part, said tabs of said visor part being inserted and locked in the outer two of said three slots going in at the front side of said hat-band to project at the back side thereof, said sickle-shaped visor part thereby projecting at one side from said hatband part, the arrangement being. such that upon the bending of said hat-band part to form a cylinder, the middle section of said visor part may be pulled upwards by means of said tongueuntil the inner rim of said visor contacts said hat-band part over substantially the whole length of said 3 rim, said visor part thereby projecting from said hat-band part at an angle and said tongue occupying a locking position, in which said shoulders have passed through and overlie said cross slits.

RICHARD H. ,MOEN! lVLAHLON E. PA'ITONp.

No references cited. 

